The spring concert of the Otero Junior College Student and Community Choir entertained a nice crowd at the Ed Stafford Theatre Monday night with arresting harmonies and captivating solos.

Director Dean Rees introduced the program by telling how Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein really started musical comedy as we know it with "Oklahoma!" The songs actually carried the plot forward rather than being introduced as ornaments to the script.

The strong soprano voices of Charleen Turner and Terry Miller were heard often in the program, Turner leading off with "Getting to Know You" from "The King and I."

The performance was rich with solos and some outstanding harmonies. "Do Re Mi" from "The Sound of Music" by Katie Lagergren was a real crowd-pleaser, but the show-stopper was Dawn Polmiller's "You'll Never Walk Alone" with a new Ray Charles-like rhythm.

The best harmony of the evening came with the choir's performance of Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns." Too bad this song is usually done as a solo, because the choral version is much better. One of the performers was heard to say after the performance, "I'm not sure we got it right." To at least one pair of ears in the audience, it was perfect.

There is not enough space to mention all the great performances enjoyed by last night's audience. The well-balanced harmony of the trios stood out, especially in "Edelweiss" when the lead gravitated from high to low and back again, with Katie Lagergren, Amanda Rusher and Leslie Williams. Katie Newens stood out in "I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say No!" and we really believe Debbie Dennis with her worried "She might be dead!" in "Into the Woods."